Not for the first time in the series, India were reminded of the gulf in the quality of cricket that exists between Australia and the Twenty20 champions.

But never as convincingly and effectively as in Vadodara, where the hosts were brought down to their knees with ridiculous ease. As the seven-match one-day series reaches its business end, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men are increasingly looking like mere boys before the mighty Aussies.

It's not yet the point-of-no-return for India, as Dhoni was quick to point out. "It's not yet all over for us. We haven't lost the series, there are still two more matches left and we have a chance to level the series," announced the Indian skipper after Thursday's debacle. Self-soothing words in the face of a humiliating defeat, but do India really have the wherewithal to regroup and deliver at this juncture?

Barring an aberration in the fourth game, the visitors have proved beyond doubt that they are a far superior lot in this series at different venues and under varying conditions. Having lost the plot and then the match in Chandigarh, Ricky Ponting's men were quick to rectify their shortcomings and strike back with a vengeance.

As Ponting admitted, Australia wasted little time in getting their act together after the setback. The Tasmanian had not taken the large number of extras his bowlers conceded through wides in the last game lightly.

The wides came down drastically, though it did help the Australian cause that the Indians were dismissed well inside their 50 overs. Except for the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh, Ponting revealed that most of the dismissals were as per the plan they had chalked out for each each batsman.

Once the bowlers had done their job, the batsmen complemented them in fine style. It was as clinical as it can get.    

While the defeat in itself wasn't unexpected, the manner in which India lost will rankle them. That partnerships, or the lack of them, had undone India wasn't lost on Dhoni, but the Jharkhandi surprisingly admitted that while it was easy to detect the problem, it wasn't exactly the same when it came to fixing it.

The wicketkeeper-batsman may have been impressive in the way he led the side in the Twenty20 World Cup, but against Australia and in the longer format, he seems to be missing the plot, both on and off the field.  After the win in Chandigarh, which was set up by the under-fire seniors, Dhoni boldly declared that there were no proper replacements for the seniors.

‘No comment’

On Thursday, however, the 26-year-old just offered a ‘no comment’ when questions were raised about Rahul Dravid's form. Surely, some words in defence of the former captain were in order?

The nine-wicket drubbing at the IPCL ground here has proved that there is more to cricket than just mouthing off, especially when you are up against a quality side like Australia. Without suggesting that the Indians take everything lying down, it has to be kept in mind that if big talk is not matched by on-field performances, you are bound to look silly.